How to Prepare for Your First Interview as a New Teacher
Posted On September 24,2021
If you’re new to becoming a teacher, you’re probably wondering how to prepare for your first job interview. While job interviews can be nerve racking, you can build self-confidence and reduce stress by planning how to respond to questions ahead of time.
Here are some of the top teacher interview questions and answers to help you best prepare.
What Made You Want to Become a teacher?
Why do you want to be a teacher?
This question is one of the most common teacher interview questions, so your answer needs to be more unique than the typical response that you like to help others learn.
Best way to respond:
Try to avoid giving answers such as “I want to have the summers off.” Instead, think of how much you love teaching, and give responses that show your passion for working with children.
2. Why Do You Want to Teach Here?
Why do you want to work here?
This is another common question and another reason why it helps to have a well thought out response.
Best way to respond:
This is your chance to share everything you know about this specific school, and prove why you’d be a great fit, so it’s important to do some research prior to the interview. What the interviewer really wants to know is why do you want to work here specifically, or are you just randomly submitting resumes for all available job openings?
3. What Type of Classroom Management Strategy Would You Implement if Hired?
How are you planning on handling your classroom?
This is another question you can almost guarantee will be asked during an interview. The interviewer really wants to know how you plan on managing a classroom if you were to be hired.
Best way to respond:
You want to demonstrate that you would take a proactive approach towards establishing a classroom management strategy. Also, give examples of how you handled conflict or rose to the challenge in the past. An example might be how you would deal with a difficult parent, or how a student came to you with a problem, and you were able to solve it.
4. What are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?
What do you think you’re good at, and not so good at?
This is a question that gets asked at nearly any interview, regardless of the profession.
Best way to respond:
This question is designed to challenge you and catch you off guard. You want to sound confident when you answer, but not cocky. When describing your weaknesses, you don’t have to share weaknesses that involve becoming a teacher. It’s okay to describe an area you struggle with, like math for example.
Start Your ECE Process Now5. How Would You Establish Communication with Parents?
How do you plan on working with the parents?
The interviewer wants to know what your approach to working with parents is, and if you’re comfortable communicating with them regularly.
Best way to respond:
The best way to answer would be to give examples of when you collaborated with parents in the past, whether through phone calls, meetings, or emails. If you’ve never worked with parents before, give examples of how you plan to communicate and connect with them.
Do You Want to Teach?
If you’re interested in becoming a teacher, you’ve come to the right place! Contact Athena Career Academy for more information about our highly reputable and established early childhood education program. The sooner you get started, the faster you’ll be on your way to preparing for your own first teacher interview.